Scottish shops enjoyed their best sales figures in six months in January.
The Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) said that stores had started 2022 with “tentative” signs of a recovery.
A new SRC report revealed that sales north of the border last month dropped by 7.9% compared with January 2020, when they saw an increase by 1.3%.
This latest figure, however, is above the three-month average decrease of 11.6% and the 12-month average decrease of 10.8%.
January's performance is also an improvement of 5.1% from last December.
Total food sales rose last month by 3.3% compared to the same time in 2020, when they had increased by 2.7%.
This latest figure, however, was still below the three-month average growth of 3.5% and the 12-month average growth of 4.3%.
And total non-food sales, including childrenswear, men's smart clothing, and furniture, decreased by 17.3% in January compared with the same month in 2020, when they had increased by 0.2%.
But this was above the three-month average fall of 24.2% and the 12-month average decrease of 23.5%.
Ewan MacDonald-Russell, head of policy at SRC, said it was "too early to tell" if the figures represented the start of a shopping revival in Scotland.
He added: "January saw the best Scottish sales figures in six months as shops kicked off 2022 with tentative signs of a recovery.
"Whilst these figures are littered with caveats, it's nonetheless welcome to see an improving performance after a dreadful end to 2021.
"However, much of that growth derives from increased inflation which grocers are now being forced to pass onto customers through higher prices."
Mr MacDonald-Russell said a combination of high inflation, rising public policy costs and stretched household finances are making sales for traders difficult, adding: "Hopefully there will be brighter skies ahead, but it looks it will be some time until we arrive there."
Paul Martin, partner and UK head of retail at KPMG, added that an encouraging start to the year is welcome news, but with inflation impacting both consumers and retailers the months ahead will require a balanced approach to drive growth.